Adidas Gets The Boot: USA Men's Basketball Team Are All Wearing Nike

There were “no sneaker controversies, real or imagined, in this year's
selection” of the USA men's Olympic basketball team, as “fate has made
the USA squad all-Nike,” according to Allan Brettman of the Portland
OREGONIAN. Adidas America Global Basketball officials in Portland “had
to cringe just a little on Monday if they took a look at the Nike-supplied
photograph of the USA men's Olympic basketball team.” With adidas
endorsers Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard off the team due to injuries,
the “millions of dollars that Adidas has spent on endorsement contracts
for Rose and Howard -- the one-two punch of Adidas Basketball marketing
-- won't have nearly as much bang for their bucks.” But if there is “any
consolation” for adidas, it is that Rose and Howard “won't be wearing a
Swoosh” during Olympic play with Nike sponsoring the men’s basketball
team. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be wearing their Nike
Hyperdunk+ shoes that “include a footbed of sensors that will measure
how high they jump, track their highest jump, measure their average
jump height and total jumps per game along with steps per second and
quickest movements.” Brettman noted it “will be interesting how Nike and
Olympics broadcaster NBC make use of the data.” Meanwhile, Nike Global
Corporate Communications Dir Mary Remuzzi said that everyone on the USA
women's team “except two players will wear the Nike Hyperdunk 2012” (OREGONLIVE.com, 7/17).